About the report

The Department engaged Blue Environment in association with Randell Environmental Consulting to report on waste generation and resource recovery performance in Australia during 2010-11. Detailed data and analysis for 2010-11 are accompanied by trend data from 2006-07. This is the fifth in a series of data compilations on waste and resource recovery in Australia (previously Waste and recycling in Australia).

The report aims to present, analyse and discuss the most up-to-date set of Australia solid waste data focusing on:

Recycling

Energy recovery

Disposal

Waste generation.

Waste generation and resource recovery in Australia found that in 2010-11, Australians on average generated 2.2 tonnes per capita of waste, 60% of which was recycled or recovered for embodied energy. Inclusion of fly ash from coal fired power stations increases average per capita waste generation by 28% to 2.8 tonnes, with a resource recovery rate of 56%. In total Australia generated around 48 million tonnes (Mt) of waste excluding fly ash, and 62 Mt including fly ash.